A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1990 (DOST Vol. VII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Ravell, Revell, -il(l, n. Also: raw-; ravle; revall, -ele; rewll; rewl-, revl-. [Only Sc. and (later) north. Eng. dial., ‘of obscure origin’ (OED). Cf. Du. ravel a plank, beam, rafter (1649), MDu., MHG rave plank, rafter; cf. also, however, Faer. revil a fillet of wood, Dan. dial. revel a strake of a boat, Sw. dial. rävel a joist, ON refill a strip of cloth. Cf. Rale n.]
1. A beam or plank of timber.The quot. for 1611 may properly belong elsewhere, = ? some sort of tool.1560–1 Edinb. Old Acc. II 140.
Ane rewll and ane bot to the butreis of the pulpit 1562 Inverness Rec. I 81.
Ten pece of eakin cuppillis wyth rawillis cabyrris to big ane leaycht hall Ib. 82.
In fyrryn tymmer, viz. burd, cabyr, rawill 1611 Edinb. Test. XLVI 226b.
Ane mottok, ane ravell and four wedges
b. ? One of a series of stakes (to mark a boundary). —1467 Reg. Dunferm. 359.
And keip thar boundis hafand nettis in the ald stell alslang as the Inglismen oys fornent thaim ay quhill the kingis water balȝe mak revlis in the watir
2. sing. and pl. A rail or railing.Orig. of timber but later (1632) also specified as of iron.Also attrib. with stair and comb. with tre.sing. (a) 1548 Treas. Acc. IX 259.
Ane spar … to be ane ravill to the turnpik 1551 Edinb. Guild Ct. 28 Aug.
To desist & ceis fra the putting of ony maner of ravill on the west syde of the stair 1564–5 Edinb. Old Acc. II 207.
For ane geist to be the ravill of the stair 1617 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 76. 1628–9 Dumbarton Common Gd. Acc. 60.
For the pennall and ravill to the stair 1633 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 343.
The ravill that gois to the laiche kitching 1657 Edinb. B. Rec. IX 58. 1658 Ib. 149.
To fens the new kirk yaird with a ravill of timber Ib. marg.
Timber ravill 1659 Ib. 180.
To fix ane ravell of timber upon the west syde of the Kirkheugh … for the ease of the nighbouris their goeing up and doun 1670 Glasgow B. Rec. III 128.
Ane irone ravill to the tolbuith stair 1680 Foulis Acc. Bk. 35.
Ravle 1685 Edinb. B. Rec. XI 134.
That ther most be ane handsome ravell of good iron work pute about the same(b) 1589–90 Mylne Master Masons 68.
Ane stair … with stappes round hewin and ane reuell hewin wark and rasit vpone the stair 1632 Lithgow Trav. vi 264.
A foure squared stone inclosed about with an yron reuele 1635 Ecclesia Antiqua 331.
[For the safety of the bairns attending it] to make ane revall to the stair 1650 Rec. Old Aberd. II 41.
Finding ane spacious roume ther … thought it expedient to devyd the samen be ane revell quhilk they fand ther 1665–7 Lauder Jrnl. 6.
A small distance from it their is a revell put up … , so that we win no nearer then the revell would let uspl. 1583 Edinb. D. Guild Acc. 184.
Fyr sparris to be rawellis for the skaffaldis 1617 Mylne Master Masons 97.
Ordanis Dauid Jaksone millar to put on rewlis of tymmer on the waut [ed. want] of the Brig of Tay 1631 Brechin Kirk S. 29 March.
Hewen stones … for bigging and repairing the battlemendels or revells of the bridge 1633 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 362.
Thrie bates of irone to the revill at the lang stair c1650 Spalding I 38.
Thair wes, within thir ravellis, ane strong garde of the touns men 1661 Forfar Witches in Reliq. Antiq. Sc. 133.
Ane piece cloath which was drying one the bridge revilsattrib. and comb. 1690 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. XV 237.
At the head of the iron ravell stair at the chancelory chamber 1698 Edinb. Test. LXXX 312b.
Two ravell tries and twelf staiks
